I have been seeing a lot of articles like this one in the last few days reporting on the anti-capitalist rallies in London. The protesters are forming their anti-capitalist rallies around the arrival of the G-20 conference.
What I find comically hypocritical is how the protesters are going about organizing their efforts and tactics. The groups are using texting and twitter to organize and stay mobile. I just think that is classic. You have a bunch of people protesting capitalism, yet they are utilizing the fruits of innovation that have been made possible only through capitalism for their cause. These cutting edge advancements in communication and technology represent the cutting edge innovators that are only found in capitalist countries. When was the last time an African country funded an internet start up? I also think it is a little gutless to protest against capitalism when it is one of the main reasons that they have the right and ability to protest. Pre-capitalist England would have seen protesters like this jailed or even beheaded. Capitalism and democracy are not always necessarily rowing the ship in the same direction if you will, but they are both important foundations of most of the prosperous nations on this earth.
Maybe I am being a little to judgemental and general in my observations but I liken protesters such as these to the hippie counter culture movement of the 70's. It just seems like a lot of youth angst directing their pent up aggression towards the very system that has allowed them to enjoy one of the highest standards of living the world has ever seen. Even our nation's poor typically enjoy a higher standard of living than many non-capitalist countries. Take a look at North Korea with its epidemic hunger issues and I think it is a little harder to fault capitalism as the root of all evil. The gap is widening between the rich and the poor and I think that is something to be concerned about, and I am not discounting the struggles of our nation's poor. I am saying that everything is relative, and as bad as things are consistently portrayed by the media we live in an era of untold wealth and opportunity that has never been seen on this earth before.
